LAKE MANCHAR (PAKISTAN-SINDH)

      

Lake Manchar is located in Pakistan (Dadu District, Sindh). It Coordinates are  26°25′23″N 67°40′23″E / 26.423°N 67.673°E. It is at a distance of about 18 kms from Sehwan Sharif, west of the River Indus. It is the largest freshwater lake of Pakistan and also one of Asia's largest Lake. The surface area of the lake fluctuates with the seasons from 350 km² to 520 km².

When Sukkar Barrage was constructed in 1930s, this lake was formed. Manchar Lake is fed by two canals, the Aral and the Danister from the river Indus. The lake collects water from numerous small streams in the Kirthar Mountains and empties into the Indus River.

There is not abundance of fish in the lake but how ever it provided a livelihood for a large number of fishermen. Fisher folk who depend on the freshwater fish they caught in this lake.  The lake also provided large volumes of water for irrigation for various crops and aquatic plants including lotus.

Pakistan due to its diverse weather and varied land is home to some of the rare and exclusive birds in the world. Its lakes attract millions of migratory birds from across the globe specially Siberia each year. Manchar Lake is a stop-off on the Indus flyway for migratory birds. During the winter, migratory birds come to this lake in very large numbers. It is an important breeding and wintering area for a wide variety of water birds. Around 25,000 birds have been recorded in the environs of this lake. Manchar Lake has rich potential to serve as a habitat for large variety of birds.

Presently the large numbers of birds have fallen. It is because lake fish has reduced which the main food of birds is. Due to environmental degradation, the water is becoming saline and killing off the fish. The degradation has been occurring for a long time but recently the effects have been felt.